Drone pilot could face charges in connection with deadly crash

[Skynet 1]

Drone pilot could face charges in connection with deadly crash

CARO, MI (WNEM) -
A drone pilot could face charges after authorities say the unmanned aircraft kept a Flight Care helicopter from landing to transport a victim to the hospital in a deadly crash...

The helicopter had to abort its landing and pass around the scene while police found the pilot of the drone.
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It just takes one idiot!

 

[Erised]

To quote another phantom pilot "And that's why we can't have nice things"

 

[N017RW]

We need a few prosecutions of those who fly carelessly or ignorantly.

 

[WV. Rootman]

There is a lot of negative on drones. I just don't understand everything in the story. I am ignorant about the danger here. If the helicopter hovered over the area, would the drone pilot vacated the area as FAA states? Maybe that's all it would have taken.

I have a helicopter fly under 500 ft. Over my house which worries me almost every day. I can't tell who it is. I give way as fast as I can, but he is flying fast. That's what I get for living on the top of a mountain.

 

[AlanTheBeast]

There is a lot of negative on drones. I just don't understand everything in the story. I am ignorant about the danger here. If the helicopter hovered over the area, would the drone pilot vacated the area as FAA states? Maybe that's all it would have taken.

I have a helicopter fly under 500 ft. Over my house which worries me almost every day. I can't tell who it is. I give way as fast as I can, but he is flying fast. That's what I get for living on the top of a mountain.

If he passes less than 500 ft horizontally (sparsely settled area) or 2000 ft otherwise, while less than 500 ft vertically from your home on the hill, he's likely in contravention of FAR 91.119 . But I'm not really completely sure of the interpretation of that para. d.

Get binoculars and his N number. Look him up - shouldn't be hard to locate. Call him and ask him to fly neighbourly and avoid your hilltop due to the noise.

 

[AlanTheBeast]

Drone pilot could face charges in connection with deadly crash

CARO, MI (WNEM) -
A drone pilot could face charges after authorities say the unmanned aircraft kept a Flight Care helicopter from landing to transport a victim to the hospital in a deadly crash...

The helicopter had to abort its landing and pass around the scene while police found the pilot of the drone.

I say throw the book at the drone pilot.

That said, given the description of the accident in the article I doubt the driver would have survived in any case. IOW it would be hard to lay negligent homicide (or whatever that jurisdiction calls it) when the primary cause of death was poor tires and excessive speeds for the wet conditions.

OTOH, a civil wrongful death suit against the drone operator would face a much lower bar.

 

[WV. Rootman]

I say throw the book at the drone pilot.

That said, given the description of the accident in the article I doubt the driver would have survived in any case. IOW it would be hard to lay negligent homicide (or whatever that jurisdiction calls it) when the primary cause of death was poor tires and excessive speeds for the wet conditions.

OTOH, a civil wrongful death suit against the drone operator would face a much lower bar.

Wow Alan, you are such a beast.

 

[AlanTheBeast]

Wow Alan, you are such a beast.

Please elaborate.

 

[Raptorman0909]

Wow Alan, you are such a beast.

No, the beast will be the reaction from fed + state + local legislators as soon as the first helicopter or plane is brought down by a drone. This is not a game and you are not entitled to do as you please -- if you do we WILL lose are right to fly at all!


Brian

 

[With The Birds]

There is a lot of negative on drones. I just don't understand everything in the story. I am ignorant about the danger here. If the helicopter hovered over the area, would the drone pilot vacated the area as FAA states? Maybe that's all it would have taken.

I have a helicopter fly under 500 ft. Over my house which worries me almost every day. I can't tell who it is. I give way as fast as I can, but he is flying fast. That's what I get for living on the top of a mountain.

Have a look on airmap, you may find the AC has a transponder active. It’s hard to judge 500ft from the ground, he is probably higher. You will know in any case if it shows up. I have a Heli that flys over my joint about 1am every morning, no idea who it is (no transponder), seemingly doesn’t always have nav lights on either.

 

[BigAl07]

If he passes less than 500 ft horizontally (sparsely settled area) or 2000 ft otherwise, while less than 500 ft vertically from your home on the hill, he's likely in contravention of FAR 91.119 . But I'm not really completely sure of the interpretation of that para. d.

Get binoculars and his N number. Look him up - shouldn't be hard to locate. Call him and ask him to fly neighborly and avoid your hilltop due to the noise.

If this person is violating a FAR (which I think you've already pointed out the segment para d which states they are probably not) then call the FSDO and report it. They can address it easy enough and take disciplinary action should it be warranted.

The key portion to note here is section (1) of para d:
(1) A helicopter may be operated at less than the minimums prescribed in paragraph (b) or (c) of this section, provided each person operating the helicopter complies with any routes or altitudes specifically prescribed for helicopters by the FAA

It’s hard to judge 500ft from the ground, he is probably higher.

Best answer thus far

 

[WV. Rootman]

Please elaborate.

No, the beast will be the reaction from fed + state + local legislators as soon as the first helicopter or plane is brought down by a drone. This is not a game and you are not entitled to do as you please -- if you do we WILL lose are right to fly at all!


Brian

I just was playing a pun on your name. Maybe it applies?

 

[AlanTheBeast]

I just was playing a pun on your name. Maybe it applies?

I'm a [EXPLETIVE REMOVED] cat in real life.

[EXPLETIVE REMOVED]

 

[AlanTheBeast]

If this person is violating a FAR (which I think you've already pointed out the segment para d which states they are probably not) then call the FSDO and report it. They can address it easy enough and take disciplinary action should it be warranted.

The key portion to note here is section (1) of para d:
(1) A helicopter may be operated at less than the minimums prescribed in paragraph (b) or (c) of this section, provided each person operating the helicopter complies with any routes or altitudes specifically prescribed for helicopters by the FAA

Right, so is there a specifically prescribed route there? I doubt it. Such are clearly marked on air nav charts. (Helo Route 1 in Wash DC, for example ... you see H-1's flying that very low quite often (brass from P-gon to Reagan)).

As to mis judging the 500 ft, that is possible, OTOH, in the hills helo pilots are not going to change their route much or climb for "transients" such as mountain tops.

Yesterday flying my MP/P4P at an estuary near here a R-4422 flew by low enough for me to read his reg. That was well below 500'. He was well within 2000' laterally of dense housing (Canadian rule largely equivalent to 91.119 para b). (Estuary is a little over 1000' wide (river to road and then houses) at that point). Not like everyone follows the rules when they think they can get away with it.

 

[BigAl07]

Right, so is there a specifically prescribed route there? I doubt it. Such are clearly marked on air nav charts. (Helo Route 1 in Wash DC, for example ... you see H-1's flying that very low quite often (brass from P-gon to Reagan)).
View attachment 87082

As to mis judging the 500 ft, that is possible, OTOH, in the hills helo pilots are not going to change their route much or climb for "transients" such as mountain tops.

Yesterday flying my MP/P4P at an estuary near here a R-22 flew by low enough for me to read his reg. That was well below 500'. He was well within 2000' laterally of dense housing (Canadian rule largely equivalent to 91.119 para b). (Estuary is a little over 1000' wide (river to road and then houses) at that point). Not like everyone follows the rules when they think they can get away with it.

Then make the proper calls and they can look into it.

 

[AlanTheBeast]

Then make the proper calls and they can look into it.

No - but I will drop in on the operating company, in person. (I'm 95% sure of where that helo operates out of - just off an airport where I used to be an instructor) and ask them to interpret the rules for me. Nothing like the red faced glow of realization.

 

[Peter Hartmann]

Something a bit fishy here. No drone can survive the "down-wash" of even the smallest two-place helio.

There are all manner of special interests who are bitterly opposed to the idea that we "Joe Average" types now have a device to go see what is going on.

Be fair ! How would YOU feel if you were able to put food on the table with your helio gathering news, and/or you were conducting a business that was doing bad things, and some clown with a drone can get photos and expose you?

 

[AlanTheBeast]

Something a bit fishy here. No drone can survive the "down-wash" of even the smallest two-place helio.

If you're referring to my post, my drone at that moment was at about 10 metres height off the ground at one end of the estuary. The helo was doing about 90 kts into a 20 knot wind at about 400'. CPA radius was over 100 m. No rotor wash from him was going to effect my drone.

OTOH, I have flown the length of the same estuary at 90m (300') and so it starts to get tight if he's much below 500'. Indeed my "ground speed record" was yesterday ay 82 km/hr and 90m height about 15 minutes before he showed up.

 

[tcope]

If the helicopter hovered over the area, would the drone pilot vacated the area as FAA states? Maybe that's all it would have taken.

An unmanned aircraft always needs to yield the right of way to a manned aircraft. Helicopters are _very_ noise. The person flying the drone needed to have been within visual line of sight of his drone so he/she is around 800' away. He could easily hear the helicopter and should have known it was there for the accident. The helicopter pilot knew the drone was there so the drone pilot should have easily known that the helicopter was there.

A helicopter needed to take an injured person to a hospital, the drone is stated to have prevented this and the person died. It's not going to matter much what type of defense the drone operator might have.

 

[Raptorman0909]

The sad fact is we have folks on this very board that think this stuff is funny. Hey, I stopped a rescue helicopter from picking up an injured person and they died -- barrel of laughs!


Brian